Rod Melancon’s Southern Gothic is a rockin rolla — its songs practically beg you to swig a beer, then a whiskey, then boogie on down a peanut-shell-covered floor at a dark bar. It’s Americana at its finest, evoking images of young love lost in the badlands and bayous of South Louisiana. Produced by Brian Whelan, Melancon makes his hometown come alive — in stories of swampy, sweaty buildings and ghosts of real characters in raucous blues.
Oddly enough, Melancon didn’t learn to play music until he moved to Los Angeles. “I was given a guitar when I was 19. I had just moved to LA, and I didn't know many folks. It kept me company. I taught myself some chords and when I had enough to piece a song together, I went for it.” He realized music was his calling after gave his grandpa a Hank Williams album. “Those songs brought him to a different place. I realized the power and capabilities of music at that point. It's much more than words and sounds.”
Hop to the next page to learn a little more about Melancon.
Hometown: I grew up in a small farming community called Wright in Southern Louisiana. It is located in Vermilion Parish. That Parish was recently featured throughout True Detective Season
Homebase: I've spent the past 10 years living in Los Angeles. I now live on the border of Echo Park and Silverlake.
Describe your music to people who haven't heard it before.
Folk songs disguised as swampy/dirty Rock n Roll.
Why is your album called Southern Gothic?
The title of the record spawned from my love of Southern Gothic literature. I felt silly about the title until I was invited by Larry Brown's son Shane to check out Larry's writing room in Mississippi. Larry Brown is a "southern gothic" author from Mississippi. He is a huge influence on my writing and one of my literary heroes. I was standing right where he wrote Dirty Work and Joe. I ran my fingers along his typewriter. As we drove from place to place in what was his dad's old truck, he said "Man, I wish dad was still around today. He would have loved you. He would have taken you under his wing." That was the moment I all of a sudden felt okay naming my record Southern Gothic. It's more or less a tribute to Larry Brown.
Did you always want to sing and perform for others?
My mom was a theater teacher so I grew up on the stage. I always enjoyed the possibilities of it all. Playing music wasn't all that big of a stretch. I had been performing since I was a toddler.
What was the first song you ever wrote?
The first song I ever wrote was called “By Her Side.” It's about my old neighbor after I found out he passed away. I originally recorded it for my debut album and cut it again for my EP “LA14” that came out last year. I learned that songwriting is a great way to pay tribute to those that mean something to you. People don't but songs live forever, man.
Who are your musical heroes?
I'm a big fan of Bruce Springsteen. I love the cinematic feel of his writing and recording. I'm a huge film buff. His songs are like films in five minutes or less. I'm also heavily inspired by John Prine, Townes Van Zandt, and Kris Kristofferson. I also got heavy into Tom Petty last year. I relate to him because we are both from the Deep South and moved to Los Angeles at a young age.
What's the craziest thing a fan has ever done for you?
A middle-aged man in Florida came up to the stage and said his wife wanted to know how many women I've slept with. That would be filed under "crazy" right?
Describe your songwriting process.
It's always changing. I've been on the road for over a month and I'm pretty sure I've mapped out my next record in my mind. The "process" is a hell of a thing.
If you were a hashtag, what would you be?
#ZeroRipsGiven
What’s your big 2017 goal?
Keep on touring and scoring my late night TV debut. I'm getting married so there's that too.
For more profiles on up-and-coming artists, visit our Artist of the Day page.
from Myspace - Editorial http://ift.tt/2qE4Mpj
No comments:
Post a Comment